School removes 'Christ the Savior' from 'Silent Night'

Although I was brought up as a good little Church of England boy (did all the Christian things - went to Sunday school, sang in the choir, was groped by the choirmaster,) I am probably the least religious person I know. However, I think it is a pity that a beautiful carol like Stille Nacht should be messed about. Oddly enough, and despite my non-religiosity, while I detest the commercial Christmas songs like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Here Come Santa Claus, and that detestation is upon the twin bases of triteness and lack of musical quality, I do like many of the old carols - Stille Nacht being my favourite.

While I take the point of possible proselytisation, I think one is being overly sensitive to object to any reference to spiritual beliefs other than one's own. If I were to hear a musically pleasing Islamic or Jewish hymn, I would enjoy it, but I doubt that I would suffer a Road to Damascus-like conversion. And anyway, if one entertains a belief in an all-powerful and omniscient supernatural being, what does it matter in which form one honours that being - all roads lead to Rome in that respect.

Christmas Carols has long been a tradition in my society, and I have never come across even the most hard-line atheist who has ever objected thereto. The Christmas message, around the world, and when it is not allowed to be totally corrupted by commercialism, is that of peace and good will to one's fellow man. I know of no Jew or Muslim who would object to those sentiments.

And in closing, forget this nonsense that Stille Nacht was ever a Hebrew song. Joseph Mohr wrote the lyrics, and Franz Xavier Gruber composed the music, in Germany in 1816.

 

Offending Muslims and Atheists is more important than offending Christians ya know. They are protected classes, Christians are not.

 

Lmao ... You are free to leave the country as well . Remember , separation of church and state . Muslims and non Christians PAY TAXES FOR THESE SCHOOLS as well . Why should they pay for your nonsense ?

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Good for you , but when you allow tax dollars to fund an operation you have to please those tax payers .

 

Depends on if the activity is directly sponsored by the school, or simply 'allowed' - if the activity is elected by students (ex. students bringing Christmas cards) then I don't see how the 'taxpayer funded' argument applies.

 

So are you going to hang us for witchcraft?

Seems like every time Christianity has come upon a road block it's first inclination is to obliterate whatever is in the way, and then only compromise if it cant.

 

which is why there is a separation of religion from the classroom, that way things like this do not happen, don't pick a religious song and then change it, just pick a Christmas song that is not religious and everyone can enjoy

the teacher was wrong for trying to backdoor this religious song into the school...


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Newsflash: listening to songs of other faiths does NOT equate to the state sponsoring or enforcing religious beliefs. It's hard to believe that the liberal viewpoint is so intolerant that they cannot even listen to a song from another faith. I have listened to Jewish songs before....and songs played during Kawanza celebrations and find learning about other faiths and how they are celebrated rather interesting. Why are some liberals so close-minded?

 

I don't think listening is the problem. It's children feeling coerced into singing religious songs that they, or their parents, may not agree with. I wouldn't personally care (I sang plenty in school), and I have no problem with my son singing them at school, but I can see how some parents and kids may not like it. It's probably easier for a Jewish kid to sing Silent Night without the "Christ the Savior" part rather than have to decide whether to make himself stick by not singing that part, or forgoing participation all together.

 

That's rediculous. It's always been a Christian song, and the Buddhists, Muslims, Hindu and Siks know that, so it wasn't going to offend them.

That leaves the athiests, in which case, if they truly don't believe, then, to them, it should just be another song with lyrics.

 

Poor logic. The song is an extremely popular Christmas song and has been sung in school concerts for generations. Editing out the lyrics as to not offend atheists and Muslims speaks to the whininess of those groups, not Christian groups.

And I'm not a Christian. I'm just not someone so weak as to get offended over hearing certain religious words in a song. Stay home if you are that easily offended.

 

Yes if Christians want to hold religious ceremony in their school they can send their children to a private religious school instead of a public one.

 

LIke
Frosty the Snowman
Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
All I want for Christmas
Rudolph the Red Nose Raindeer

It simply should not have been included.

Why should non-Christians have to put their fingers in their ears, the question is why do Christians believe they cannot celebrate their religion unless government is involved?

 

I believe this is all overblown.....That song has been sung many times before. It does not mean you ahve to believe....sometimes it is simply a song...People need to chill.

 

They don't have to put their fingers in their ears. They can accept that Christmas is a religious holiday and that Christmas concerts are part of the cultural and historical fabric of the US. If they are such weak minded people that they can't even handle hearing a religious word in a song without whining then they can go sit home for the remainder of the holiday.

 

As I noted and linked in another such thread over half the country celebrates a secular Christmas.

Why do Christians insist on the government sponsoring their religious faith and believe that unless government is involved they cannot properly celebrate it?

When my kids were in school and couple we were good friends with were Jewish and their kids were also members. I remember to this day going to awards nights or other school functions and sitting with them and someone getting up to say a prayer and ending with "and only through Jesus Christ can we seek eternal salvation so in Jesus name we pray". They had tell their kids not to pray and explain to them that the school was not correct and they should not believe what was said in the prayer. One Christmas pageant a teacher got up to introduce another teacher to sing a solo and explained that this song had a great message and we should all pay attention and follow what the song teaches. She got up and sang a song about only through Jesus can you be save for you sins and go to heaven.

Religious faith and public schools should not mix because of the diversity of beliefs, if you can't teach your own children the religious faith you choose through your church and at your home then YOU are doing something wrong and should not depend on a public school to fill the void.

 

This is about a fifth-graders' concert. This is not a religious ceremony. I am quite sure that nobody forced any kid to take part in it or any parent to visit it.

I really don't understand how this can be such an issue.

 

It's a religious holiday for Christians not for everyone else.

Is the Christian faith so weak it must rely on a government school to teach and celebrate it?

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The canard that 80% celebrate the releigious Christmas is just that.

Half of America strips religion from Christmas


"Nine out of 10 Americans do Christmas and three-quarters believe in the biblical account of Jesus‘ birth — but only a little more than half actually regard the holiday primarily as a religious celebration.
More than one-third say it’s more a cultural holiday, a new poll from Pew Research’s Religion & Public Life Policy found.

The poll also found that generational differences in how Christmas is celebrated abound. Younger adults generally see the holiday through less religious lens than older Americans. And those under the age of 30 are far less likely to attend a religious service as part of the holiday celebration.
Still, tradition plays a major role in how Americans celebrate the holiday. Eighty-six percent of adults say they will celebrate with friends and families — and the same number say they’ll trade gifts. Ninety percent say that’s how they celebrated in their growing up years.

But not so many are sending out Christmas cards or greetings — and that’s a deviance from what was normal in past generations. Meanwhile, caroling is on the decline, too.
By the numbers: About 74 percent said they attended religious ceremonies during their growing up years to celebrate Christmas. Only 54 percent say they will do so now.


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz2nwPCHsGy

 

So what? You don't have to celebrate it if you're not capable of tolerating the holiday.

Yeah, those Government schools, really big pushers of religion

Stay at home if you are so easily offended. Problem solved, and nobody else has to listen to undue whining. Win win for everybody.

 

It's about a school sponsored concert with religious connotations which respects a certain religious faith over others. Why should the others be excluded due to their religious faith or lack thereof?

Are you religious institutions so lacking that you must use the government school to fill a void?

 

Yet only a small vocal minority of whiners are causing problems. Imagine that. Everyone else is able to let it roll off their back and aren't behaving like evangelical atheists.

 

I have celebrated Christmas all my life the majority it in the secular fashion, who are you to tell me I should not?

They certainly can be if allowed to let the Christians to do so.

Proving my point.

Why don't you just celebrated the religious aspects in your churches and homes? Problem solved no more whining by Chrisitians that they cannot inject their religious faith into public schools.

 

I'm a Christian and I'm not offended by the editing of the song.

Perhaps the school could have chosen a song such as Black Sabbath's "Paranoid"??

 

Exactly my thoughts. plenty of other songs they could have chosen. Editing the words was the choice of a coward.

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Well, being winter and all perhaps they could have chosen "Snowblind" instead. Always room for some Sabbath.

 

Then you've been exposed to "Silent Night" many times, then. How have you been able to survive? Was it a tortuous ordeal each time?

But they aren't, are they? I agree, there are some really scary things out there if you imagine them hard enough.

I'm not a Christian, as I described earlier. I'm just not part of the embarrasing contingent of atheists who act as obnoxiously about their lack of religion as the evangelicals do about theirs. If it wasn't so annoying, I'd laugh at how pathetic it is. Worth nothing is that anyone who disagrees with your point of view automatically becomes the "Christian", similar to how everyone is a "Republican" to leftists.

 

I also prefer to celebrate Christmas in a secular fashion because I'm not religious. Just so you know where I'm coming from here.
Now let me take your question and turn it around a bit: Why should others refrain from the way they want to celebrate their religious holiday because of my religious faith or lack thereof?

You celebrate your Chrismas your way, I do it my way, let everybody else do it their way.

I've said nothing about excluding anyone. I've said if people absolutely cannot stand hearing a song with the term "Christ the Saviour" in it, they are free to not visit the concert.
I say if you're not offended by lyrics with dragons or fairies or whatever in it, you haveno right to be offended by religious songs (as long as they're not hateful), because in the end they are all just songs about something you don't believe in.